A Fitting Tribute To The Brotherhood

 Lebreton Flats features a couple of large monuments. The Canadian Firefighters Memorial is one of them, paying tribute to those firefighters across the country who have given their lives in the line of duty, either directly in a response to a fire or as a result of workplace related diseases. Names etched upon a wall are by province and territory. Designed by architect Douglas Coupland and landscape architect Mary Tremain, it also features the large statue of a firefighter.

This is the back side of the wall, with plants and trees growing on the slope, specifically chosen by the landscape architect.

Each September a national service of remembrance is held here. Several years ago I met blogger The Furry Gnome. His son William has his name on the wall; William died in the line of duty as a forest fire pilot during the fight against the Cold Lake forest fire. Each time I come by here I'll stop to pay my respects.

As said, names are listed by province and territory. As the majority of the population are in Ontario and Quebec, so to are the majority of the names. 

Near one entrance, the Firefighter's Prayer is etched onto a plate.

Two last views from here. Tomorrow we'll look at the neighbouring monument.

A Summer Day In The Canadian Gardens

 Each season I document the Landscapes of Canada Gardens, on the west side of the property at the Canadian Museum of Nature. In late June I came by to do so, and the blossoms of this tree caught my eye.

The Gardens are organized by four distinct ecosystems, featuring plants, grasses, flowers, bushes, and trees from those ecosystems. It starts out with Boreal Forest, which covers a vast swath of the country, and which features everything from large conifer trees to small low lying plants. Some of them are found here.

Along the inner ring of the path, information plates are set up.

Prairie Grassland is the next, and the various grasses and flowers of that western landscape grow well here.

The path is straddled by an iceberg sculpture by the late Canadian artist and inventor Bill Lishman.

Taken from the sidewalk, this features the next ecosystem. Among the rocks on this side of the path are plants found in the Arctic Tundra.

Back to the path proper. All of that yellow in the Prairie Grassland caught my eye.

More of the information plates, one for Arctic Tundra and one for Mammoth Steppe.

Plants that were around in the time of the mammoths and are still around today grow well around a set of statues of a mammoth family. In the background, the Queens Lantern contains a model of the Moon.

Over at the east end of the property, this statue pair features a mother and baby dinosaur of the chasmosaurus irvinensis species.

Odds, Ends, And Impossible Negotiations

I have some odds and ends today. This is the worksite for the future main branch of the Ottawa Library, a joint project with Library and Archives Canada, which will also have some space here. Work is coming along. I am periodically documenting the project. 

Late in May I stopped at St. Matthew's in the Glebe. This sign on a bulletin board in the basement made me laugh.

A number of utility boxes in the downtown core are brightly decorated with a fashion theme. These two are close together.

I was considering this for the theme day. This is one of the skylights in the Rideau Centre mall.

A short walk west, one of the iconic spots in the city, over the Rideau Canal with the landmarks to the north.

On the other shore, I descended into Confederation Park and photographed the staircase coming down from the bridge. It has a new design painted onto it this year by artist Natalie Very B., titled Mother Nature.

Back up onto the bridge itself, these caught my eye.

And then I headed for the NAC for the shots I featured yesterday. I took time to photograph the Ottawa Convention Centre, aka the Shaw Centre.

Neighbouring to the north, the government conference centre and the Chateau Laurier.

The day before the first day of summer, I was at Lansdowne Park and took these two shots at dawn. The first was on the east ridge of the stadium.

A few minutes later I took this shot on the west side of the stadium.

City Daily Photo Theme Day: Transparent

The first day of each month is a theme day for members of City Daily Photo. Take a look at how other members of the group are interpreting the theme by clicking right here.

Today is also Canada Day- and a happy Canada Day to my fellow Canadians. I thought it appropriate for the theme day to feature a national landmark, particularly since glass is heavily involved in some modifications done in recent years. The National Arts Centre is a legacy of the centennial year in 1967, opened up in 1969 and home ever since to performance spaces for music, theatre, and more. Its namesake orchestra is the heart of the organization. 

The NAC was built in the brutalist style, which was in vogue at the time. Not so much these days. A number of years ago the decision was put forward to expand space with glass wrapping around portions of the structure, softening the harshness of the brutalist style. It was a wise decision, as these areas provide extra performance and event spaces, along with views out onto the surroundings. Coming out of the original part of the building as seen below, we see the expanded area beyond the doors and windows.

Close by, one of the spiral staircases in the original portion. These include skylights above, illuminating these crystal spirals that descend through the space- translucent in their own right.

But it's the expansion that I was headed for, and back I went.

The NAC is along one shore of the final stretch of the Rideau Canal as it heads towards the locks that bring it down towards the Ottawa River.

On the far shore are other landmarks: the Chateau Laurier hotel and the government conference centre. The pattern of three lines imprinted on these windows are part of the NAC logo.

Moving a bit further to the east, a small performance stage is set up.

And further along, this view takes in the Canal itself, with the Ottawa Convention Centre, also called the Shaw Centre, on the opposite shore.

Back I went the way I'd come, wanting to head up the stairs towards the glass lantern. I stopped to take another shot of the Chateau, with Plaza Bridge also featuring in the shot. The bridge is the last one to span the Canal.

Upstairs where the lantern can be found, one of the spaces was being prepped for a private function.

And into the lantern itself, with a fine weave in the glass, which illuminates the lantern as a whole. Across the street, the distinctive architecture of the Chambers buildings, the grounds of the War Memorial at right, and the Peace Tower of Parliament Hill in the background. I suspect given the items in the neighbouring space and the chairs set up in this space, that a wedding was being set up for the following day.